Author's Note: Okay, so this is one of those chapters that just 'needs to be', as they say, so just bare with me please. I promise the next chapter will have some good Densi scenes in it. Enjoy

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 6

A slight breeze blows through the trees that dot the yards in the small neighborhood. It is a quaint looking little place, and has a very 'family friendly' feel about it. Still, the tranquil ambience that seems to hang over the area does little to quell the uneasiness that Deeks feels as he rolls his Chevy Malibu slowly down the single street that runs through the neighborhood. To be honest he isn't even sure why he's here, or why it seemed like such a good idea to come in the first place.

He glances over the numbers glued to each mailbox as he passes by. 222…224…226… They all fall in a sequential pattern, with all of the odd numbers situated on the left side of the street, and the even ones on the right side. There is one in particular that he is interested in finding though, and if the directions he got from Maria's case file are correct—it should be close.

The numbers 228 finally appear on a mailbox right before his eyes, and as he looks beyond to the house that the mailbox belongs to a lump forms in his throat. He steels his nerves finally, and then guides the car into the driveway.

He puts his Chevy Malibu into park, and unbuckles his seatbelt. He wills himself to exit the car, where he stands staring at the small, brick house just before him. The outside appears well kept, and the tiny front lawn looks as though it were just recently cut. Deeks knows full well that in their line-of-work maintaining a home as well as this one appears to have been, is not an easy task. Yet, he also remembers that Maria was a hard worker, always had been, and because of that, somehow he's not surprised by what he sees so far.

Not bad.

He reaches into his jeans pocket, and pulls out the house key he'd gotten while picking up Maria's personal effects down at the police station a couple of days earlier. He slides the key into the lock, and gives it a turn until he hears the click at the end. Before stepping inside the house he inhales a deep breath, and then lets it out to stead himself once more.

The inside of the house is nearly the same as the outside—clean and well organized. He stands just inside the door letting his eyes wander over the living room area first. He sees a nice sofa, a love seat, a coffee table, a rather old-looking television set, and a single lounge chair. There is a bookshelf just to the right of the front door, but its shelves are lined with more than just books.

Among the assortment of old and new books, are a collection of framed photographs as well. Some of the photographs he recognizes, and some not so much. However, they do say a lot about their previous owner. It is only now as he moves to examine the photos more closely that he finally closes the front door.

The first photograph that his eyes fall upon is one of the very first of he and Maria together. He easily recalls when it was taken and how happy she had been that day, even though it had only been just a month since she'd lost her Mother. He had picked her up from the foster home she was staying at early that morning, and the two of them had set out together for a whole day of fun and excitement. It was his way of helping her cope then.

"Come on, please." The longhaired little girl begs, feigning a pout. "Pretty please."

"It's late, and the Robinson's are gonna be worried." Deeks argues lightly, barely able to keep from laughing at the young girl.

"Take one picture with me, and then I'll let you take me home." She proposes, with a stern expression.

Deeks is silent, and obviously deep in thought at this point. Finally he lets out a sigh of surrender. "Okay, just one—then we head home." He says, the lightness in his voice indicative of the mischievous grin obviously painted across his face.

"Thank you." She exclaims whole-heartedly, as the sound of arms wrapping around each other fills the air.

"You're welcome kiddo." He replies quietly and sweetly. "Now whaddya say we take that picture, Hmm?"

Deeks shakes his head dismissing the voices inside, and brings himself back to the present. He swipes a hand at the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, as he sets the photograph he's holding back onto the shelf. Every photograph stationed before him holds a different memory, and not just for him. For both of them.

I miss you kiddo.

Callen and Sam are riding in the latter's black, Dodge Charger, as they usually do, and the topic of discussion between the partners, at this point, mostly concerns their liaison officer—Marty Deeks. Callen points out the passenger's side window to a side street on his right, momentarily distracting from the conversation. However, the action is quite necessary, as Sam would otherwise miss the turn completely.

"Right here." Callen remarks, pointing to the nearly invisible side street.

"I see it, G." Sam replies, with a sigh. The ex-Navy Seal indicates the upcoming turn, and then easily guides the Charger off of the main road and onto the side street. It isn't long before their desired destination becomes visible to the two.

"So you don't think it's strange at all?" Sam questions his partner, reinitiating their earlier conversation. As he speaks his gaze wanders, through the windshield, over the towering structure looming directly ahead of them. It is an architectural wonder to be sure, and certainly has the effect of drawing one's eye to its presence—no matter the angle of view.

"You mean about Deeks?" Callen asks, brow arched, making sure that he and Sam are on the same page before continuing.

"Yeah."

Callen shrugs his shoulders at his partner. "I don't know what I think, honestly. Hetty trusts him though, obviously, and we trust Hetty." The team leader lets his own eyes wander over the impressive structure growing closer and closer, and seems to take it all in.

"True." Sam replies, in quiet agreement.

"Looks like you can park here, Sam." Callen tells his partner, gesturing lightly to his right once more.

Sam only nods, and expertly maneuvers his car around the next corner into the large, open parking lot that sits at the foot of the NewTech building. He chooses a parking spot towards the back end of the lot eliminating the possibility of his car suffering unnecessary dents and dings.

"Seriously?" Callen says, arching a brow towards Sam, amused by his partner's choice of parking spot. "You're gonna park way out here?"

Sam turns to his partner mid-way through unbuckling his seatbelt. "My car is in perfect condition—inside and out." He tells Callen. "I'd like to keep it that way, G."

Callen grins in amusement. "You're paranoid, Sam. No one's gonna hit your car, and besides, if they do…it's insured." He says, as he opens his car door and begins to step out.

Sam follows suit, exiting the Challenger, and then glancing over the top of the car at his partner. "Insured or not, it's called being cautious. There's a difference."

Callen chuckles. "Practicing safe driving habits—that's being cautious. Parking a mile away from civilization to avoid door dings, is called being paranoid."

"Yeah, whatever." Sam snorts, and tries to stifle the laugh that threatens to escape from within.

Callen grows serious then, and nods towards the building that they will soon be walking into. This is where the footwork begins for this case, and he knows that their success hinges on whether or not they play this right.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Callen asks, as he walks around to his partner's side.

Sam appears thoughtful for a few seconds before finally answering the question posed by his partner. "Business offer." He says simply.

Callen nods in agreement. "Works for me. Who get's to be top banana?"

Sam flashes a mischievous smirk. "Suppose I don't feel like talking, being as you insulted my choice of parking spot and called me paranoid."

Callen nods, and muffles a chuckle. "Alright, I get it. You'll be the 'strong, silent type'." The team leader says, with a look at his partner. "And I'll be-"

Sam cuts in before Callen can finish his sentence. "The 'hot shot, big mouth'" Sam finishes, with a grin.

"I was gonna say 'top banana', but yours is good too." Callen remarks, as he and Sam finally begin their walk towards the enormous building on the other side of the parking lot.

Sam and Callen step through the glass double doors marking the entrance to the NewTech building. They stand in silence taking in the area surrounding them. The main lobby is immense in size, and gives off an air of wealth and power.

"Nice place." Sam comments, as he lets his eyes wander a bit.

"Nah, I've seen better." Callen remarks. The team leader's eyes are drawn from the spectacle of the room itself to a slender, sharply dressed young blond quickly approaching from the right. "Heads up." He adds, from the corner of his mouth.

"Hi, I'm Leslie Messer." The young woman introduces herself with a gracious smile. She shakes hands with both Callen and Sam, and nods as the two men introduce themselves in return. "Welcome to NewTech."

"Al Harris." Callen says enthusiastically, with a big smile, as he shakes hands with the young woman. "Nice to meet you."

The young woman gives a slight chuckle at Callen's upbeat attitude. "And you are?" she asks, turning her attention to Sam next.

"Uh, sorry." Callen answers for his partner. "This is my associate, Terrence King." Callen says, introducing the muscular, black man.

"Oh." Leslie says, shaking Sam's hand.

"Yeah…He doesn't talk much." Callen says, lowering his voice as if it were something his partner wanted kept quiet.

"Oh, okay…I see." Leslie says, with a soft smile as she pats Sam gently on the forearm. "So, what can I do for you gentlemen?" she asks finally.

Callen rubs his hands together anxiously as he quickly puts together the rest of their temporary cover story—something he usually would have done on the way, or at least on the way inside. "As a matter of fact, my friend and I are supposed to be meeting with Mr. Sawyer today to discuss a new project." Callen explains evenly.

Unexpectedly, a frown suddenly creases the young woman's features. For a few moments she appears to be deep in thought, and neither Callen nor Sam are able to really make anything of it.

"That's…odd." The young woman says at last. "He didn't mention any meetings today."

"Hmm, are-are you sure?" Callen asks, as he works through, in his mind, how best to proceed at this point.

"Well, I mean he's not even in today." She replies, looking down at the tablet in her hands. She runs her fingers over the screen and appears to search through some files for a moment. "His planner shows his last meeting was three days ago, and he hasn't been in since." She says at last.

"Oh, well, maybe something just came up then." Callen tries quickly. "Things happen you know."

"I really am sorry." The young woman apologizes genuinely. "I hate to think you drove out here for nothing." She adds.

"No, no. It's fine." Callen says, waving his hand lightly. "Tell you what, it's no problem. We'll just check in with Mr. Sawyer later. I'm sure this whole thing will work itself out." He says, flashing a reassuring smile at the young woman.

"Alright then." She says at last. "Well, I hope you gentlemen have a nice day then."

"Thanks, you too." Callen replies as he and Sam turn to exit the building.

Callen and Sam step outside into the bright sunlight, and begin their journey back towards the Charger parked on the other side of the parking lot. Callen pulls out his cell phone, as soon as he's sure they're clear of the building.

"You alright G?" Sam asks, as he watches his partner select the speed dial option for OSP on his cell phone.

"I don't know, we'll see." Callen replies, as he holds the phone to his ear. It rings once…twice…and then finally on the third ring the tech analyst finally answers.

"Hey, how did the visit to NewTech go?" Eric asks.

"Not great." Callen replies. "Listen, Eric, I need you to look up Paul Sawyer's home address, and send it to my phone. Can you do that?"

"Not a problem." Eric replies, as the sound of fingers dancing across a keyboard becomes audible over the phone. "Anything I should tell Hetty?"

"Not yet." Callen tells the tech analyst.

"Roger that. I'll have that address to your phone in a jiffy." He tells the team leader cheerfully.

Sam has overheard the conversation between his partner and the tech analyst, Eric Beale, and the last little bit makes him let out a low chuckle.

Callen finally hangs up the phone, and shoves the device back into his back pocket once more. "What?" he asks curiously, noticing the look of amusement spread across Sam's face.

"Nothing." Sam replies quietly, still unable to hide the grin.

"Right. Spill it partner." He says sternly.

"Eric said 'jiffy'." Sam finally admits.

Callen lets out a soft chuckle of his own in agreement with his partner. "Yeah. Who does that, right?"

"Eric, apparently." Sam points out.

Deeks has slowly made his way through the house examining each individual room along the way. He isn't sure exactly what he's looking for, but his gut keeps pushing him forward seemingly without reason. As he moves through the neatly kept home, he finds himself remembering all the 'training sessions' he'd done with Maria.

She had come to him just after joining the police academy seeking advice. That then turned into full-blown training sessions in no time at all. In a sense, he had taught her everything she knew about being a cop. And she turned out to be a damn fine cop in his eyes.

It is only after he finally passes through the doorway into the master bedroom that one thing in particular becomes absolutely clear to him.

This case has me turned all around. I mean, I can barely even think straight right now. There's no way I can hope to do this right. What was I thinking?

The sound of his cell phone ringing catches his attention, and quickly brings him back to reality. He digs the phone out of his jeans pocket, presses the 'answer' key, and then holds it up to his ear.

"Hello."

"Hey, it's me." Comes the familiar voice of his favorite brunette beauty.

Deeks isn't sure if she's still with Diego or not, but feels like it would be better to be safe than sorry. "Hey, Sis. Havin' fun?"

"Why yes, as a matter of fact I am." She replies, with that girlish giggle only her cover identity would use.

"Good to hear." Deeks says, trying to sound more upbeat than he feels.

"Well, the reason I called is to let you know that Diego and I are planning to stay out for dinner this evening. If that's okay, of course?"

"Oh, no. Go right ahead. Don't let me spoil your fun in the sun, princess." Deeks replies, feigning a joking tone.

"Aw, thanks. You're the best big brother ever."

"And you're the best little Sis ever." Deeks replies. "Just be careful, okay." He adds, a little more seriously.

Kensi giggles again. "Don't worry. I will."

A CLICK sound, a few seconds later, indicates that she has hung up on him. He lowers his cell phone and stares down at the screen for the longest time afterward. Kensi's words echo in his head, and for some reason a distant memory resurfaces at the forefront of his mind.

"Okay. Okay." The young new officer says with a chuckle. She and Deeks stand together outside a bar somewhere in L.A. The young woman has just graduated from Police Academy, and she and her 'older brother' have been out doing a bit of celebrating.

"I'm sorry." Deeks replies, running a hand through his blond locks. "It's just…I want you to be safe." He adds quietly.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I learned from the best, remember?" she says, with a wink.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, that's true." He says with a shrug.

Deeks pulls himself from the haze of memory, and a tiny smile begins to spread across his lips as he shoves the cell phone back into his jeans pocket. He laughs to himself then, and can't believe that he didn't see it before.

You did learn. He thinks to himself, as he makes a quick beeline for the adjacent Master Bathroom. He now knows for sure that that is where he'll find what he's looking for.

Callen and Sam approach the front door of Paul Sawyer's beachside condo almost as casually as two men could possibly manage. Neither one is aware of what awaits them inside the home.

"Next time, Sam, I'm driving." Callen says as the two men approach the end of the front walk.

"My car?" Sam questions, arching a brow and pointing a finger back towards himself. "Not a chance, G."

"Why not? I'm a good driver." Callen protests.

"Yeah…on the moon you would be a good driver." Sam jokes.

"Hey, I'm not the one who just drove in circles for two hours trying to find this place." Callen says pointedly.

"Whatev-" Sam starts to reply, but his eyes soon fall upon the condo's front door—it's been left slightly ajar. "G, look." Sam says, his voice falling very serious as he immediately reaches for his sidearm.

Callen brings his own weapon around to his front, and holds it in a ready position. "Guess we're not his first visitors today." Callen says, eying the opening in the heavy door.

"Guess not."

"Okay, on three." Callen says, with a glance at his partner. "One…Two…"

"Three!" Sam grunts as he lunges forward knocking the door open the rest of the way. He enters the residence first, with Callen directly behind him.

The pair quickly moves from room to room in the two-story home, clearing the house in a very efficient manner. Callen finally makes his way, after a few minutes, into a spacious lounge area at the end of the house that actually faces the beach.

He enters the room slowly, doing his usual sweep for hostiles, and finding no one around finally lowers his weapon. "All clear!" he calls to his partner. "He's not here Sa-"

Something in the far corner of the room catches his eye, and distracts him from his previous statement. He moves in the direction of the object that caught his eye and upon arriving at the expensive looking recliner, which is facing a window that overlooks the sandy seashore below, he finds the lifeless body of Paul Sawyer propped up in the seat.

"Sam! I found Sawyer!" Callen calls to his partner.

Sam enters the room a few seconds later and joins Callen. "He give you any trouble?" the muscular black man asks as he walks up behind his partner.

"No, not really." Callen replies. "He's dead." He looks up at his partner, who at this point has seen the body for himself, and gives him a 'I have a bad feeling about this' kind of look.

…TBC…